Shadow Duel (Prof Croft Book 9)

bringing the occasional suspect item back to the loft. On the other hand, the loft featured some of the most powerful protective wards in the city, wards that had taken me years to infuse and strengthen. Unless we found something at a meeting of ley lines, few places in the city would be safer for our family.
“It’s isolated in a powerful protective circle now,” I assured her. “I called Claudius on the way home. He’s arranging for a member of the Order to come get it.”
“Claudius?” she said skeptically.
She’d seen him up close enough times to know that the absent-minded old man who conjured portals, undid complex bindings, and answered phones for the Order was hardly someone to be relied upon.
“I’ll send him a reminder,” I said.
“And you won’t be poking at it in the meantime?”
“What, the box?”
Vega raised a stern eyebrow.
“All right, all right,” I laughed. “I won’t lie, strange magic is as sexy to me as that summer dress you wore in Spain last month, and I am tempted to take a peek inside.” Vega cleared her throat at the innuendo and darted her eyes toward Tony, who was still absorbed in the cereal box. “However,” I continued, “after my shower, I’ve got to get to the college.” It was the first day of the summer term, and I had two classes to teach.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
I nodded at her NYPD uniform. “What’s with the blues?” As a homicide detective, she usually wore a black suit—which went really nicely with her midnight hair and Latin features, I had to say.
“I’m going light duty this week, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right,” I said, snapping my fingers. “I just didn’t realize it involved a wardrobe change.”
“I’m helping out another department. That reminds me,” she said following a sip of coffee. “Camilla’s out sick, so I arranged for another sitter.”
“Aww,” Tony said, picking up the last part.
“Who?” I asked.
A knock sounded at the door. I started to stand, but Vega signaled for me to stay put. She answered the door and exchanged a warm greeting with someone. My wards recognized the visitor before I did, muting their defenses.
A moment later, Mae Johnson stepped into view. In the past, she had helped me in her capacity as “nether whisperer” and we’d become close. I considered her a surrogate grandmother. I’d also played a modest role in getting her and Bree-yark together, which I was proud of. Even though it was already eighty degrees out, Mae was wearing a padded floral coat over her sizable figure. She smiled broadly over the collar.
“Well, hello there, Everson,” she said. “Hi, Tony.”
“Morning, Mae,” I said. “I’d get up and give you a hug, but I don’t want to knock you out. Thanks for coming.”
“Anytime, hon. I’m just up Ninth.”
While the Ninth Avenue part was true enough, she was all the way up in Harlem, which was no quick trip.
“You remember Mae,” Vega said to her son as she closed the door. “She’s going to be watching you while your dad and I are at work.”
Tony waved at her over the back of his chair, but his eyes were fixed on her pet carrier. Small tentacles writhed through the mesh door.
“Care for some breakfast?” I asked Mae.
“Oh, no, no. I eat breakfast at five, then only carrots and celery till lunchtime. Trying to manage my sugars.” She set her carrier and a tote bag down and took two steps toward us before pulling up. “Whoo-eee!” she cried, fanning the air in front of her nose and large glasses. “What did you do, child? Go dumpster diving?”
“Close,” I said. “Landfill diving.”
“And he fought a garbage monster,” Tony bragged.
“Well, it smells like the garbage monster got the best of him this time,” Mae said with a laugh. “But you’re okay?”
“Excuse me?” Tabitha called. “Some of us are trying to lounge over here.”
At the sound of her voice, the creature inside the cage chirped excitedly. Mae stooped and opened the door.
“Go on, Buster,” she said. “Just don’t get into anything that isn’t yours.”
The lobster-like creature with tentacles for lips skittered out and bee-lined for the divan, where he snapped up at Tabitha playfully.
Groaning, Tabitha flopped onto her other side. “Kill me now.”
Bree-yark emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, humming the tune he’d been singing. His thin strands of hair were parted to one side, and he’d tucked his shirt inside the pants, but instead of rolling them up, which I thought was implied when I made the loan, he’d torn the cuffs clean away.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Mae said.
Bree-yark stopped suddenly and stammered. “M-Mae. What are you doing here?”
“I’m helping out the Crofts.” She walked over, kissed the top of his head, and shook one of his large ears. “How’s my handsome gent doing?”
“Nice,” he said. “I mean, you—I mean, it’s nice to see you too.”
He took one of her hands to kiss, then seemed to decide on the other, before grunting and going back to the first. Mae giggled appreciatively, while Vega and I exchanged questioning looks. Neither of us had ever seen Bree-yark this uneasy around her. Then I remembered his proposal plans. When he’d said he was working up the nerve, he wasn’t kidding. The poor guy was scared out of his mind.
“Come on over and have a seat, Bree-yark,” I said, attempting to settle him down. “Grab some eats.”
“Oh, I’d like that, Everson, but I, ah, I’ve gotta run.”
“Run?” Mae said. “Where do you have to run to at this hour?”
“You’re more than welcome to stay and hang out,” Vega said. “I’m sure Tony would like that.”
“Yeah!” Tony exclaimed. “We can build a giant cushion fort and then body-bomb it!”
The goblin looked between the four of us, his squash-colored eyes turning bright with panic. When the front door flung open, he let out a sound between a bark and a scream.
My own heart leapt as I shot up. Intruder?
Recalling my cane from the stand with a force invocation, I pulled